Khole

Long, long ago, there were herdsboys who went out to graze
cattle on a meadow. While the cattle were grazing, the herdsboys preoccupied
themselves with eating termites. These were the chisisi, a type that normally
emerged at around midday and continued until late in the afternoon. They were
smaller in size, compared to other types and darker in colour and more
delicious. During the season of the chisisi, children hardly ever ate the
evening meal since they were satisfied by eating termites the whole afternoon.

Thus on this occasion, the herdsboys became so preoccupied with
termite eating that they completely forgot to check on their cattle. When on
very rare occasions a single boy broke off to take sentry, he would nonchalantly
report back saying, I have seen them grazing there...the..e...ere!

The termites gradually diminished as evening slowly set in. Only
at dusk did the boys realise that they had a duty to drive home their respective
herds. Finding that what they had been mistaking for cattle were actually
low-lying rocks, the boys got really shocked and alarmed. The cattle were
nowhere to be seen! In despair they started asking themselves multiple
questions. For, had they not neglected their primary duty? What would their
parents say? What punishments were in store for each one of them? One boy said,
I will go to my aunt's, another said, I will go to my
grandfather's, yet another said I will go to my brother's. But
there was one boy who lamentingly said, Since I have no relative to go to,
I will simply follow the trail of my father's beloved bull, Khole. My father
once told me that in case Khole ever got lost, I should follow his trail until I
recovered him. So I have no choice but to follow Khole's trail.

This boy wept and wept until his eyes got red. He ran about more
or less aimlessly singing:

Khole, Khole, my father's bull, Khole; my father
once warned me, Khole, that should Khole ever get lost, Khole,
I must track him down, Khole!

He walked, and walked and really walked Without knowing exactly
where he was going. He walked day and night, singing that song, in the hope that
one day he would come upon his father's beloved bull. Whenever he felt hungry,
he collected wild fruits and honey from the bush. This became his daily fare. To
quench his thirst, he often drank water from the river. He crossed many rivers
all the time singing that song of Khole. When sleep overcame him, he climbed up
and slept on trees until he felt sufficiently fresh to resume his wanderings
again. After walking for many days and nights, he eventually arrived in the land
of the ogres. Meanwhile, at home, parents gave up all hope of ever seeing him
alive again with the precious Khole.

One day ogres chanced to meet the boy wandering about aimlessly
in the wilderness and said, Yaah, we have got a boy who will look after
our cattle now! Heey, boy! Come here, we shall spare your life if you will agree
to look after our cattle well.

And so the boy was engaged to look after the ogre's teeming herd
of cattle. Each day, he took the cattle to the pastures, he counted them one by
one, noting all the beasts that belonged to his father. He did this day after
day until he fully became convinced that all the animals that had been lost were
still alive including Khole.

After he had identified all his father's cattle, he began to
think of ways of escape, for he wanted to drive away the animals without the
ogres's knowledge. Each day he went out grazing he deliberately delayed his
return to see how his masters would react. In the end he would drive back the
herd at dusk or even a little later. Thus the ogres got used to his delayed
errands and they were, on the other hand, beguiled by the fact that the animals
were well fed.

One day he went to a very distant place and began to call his
father's beasts by their respective names to see how they would react. One after
another, the cattle responded by lowing: Mooooh! And when he called
Khole, the bull bellowed very vigorously as if he were rejoicing to see his
familiar herdsboy, or for that matter lamenting the long absence from home. When
he called him again he gave a similar response Buu...buuu! The boy
was thus satisfied that the animals were still used to him.

On this particular occasion the ogres became unusually concerned
by his long absence and would have started looking for him had he not reappeared
suddenly. They were very pleased to see how well fed the beasts were and soon
brushed aside their fears being convinced that the boy's decision to graze the
cattle in distant pastures was after all reasonable.

When, however, he went out grazing the following day he made up
his mind not to stop anywhere within ogreland. He stuffed Khole's large bell so
that it would not make any sound that would undully alert the ogres. Walking
ahead of the beast, he called Khole to follow him. The bull bellowed once and
began to increase his pace, trotting confidently after the boy. The rest of the
animals followed. The boy varied his movements by walking and trotting; stopping
briefly only at night to let the cattle graze in the forest. He himself milked
the cows and drank their milk.

Following his departure, a thick mist hung over his trails and
swarm of bees covered his flight. On the second day of his disappearance the
ogres became suspicious of his long absence and set out to pursue him. They
believed that he had stolen their cattle. The ogres' movement was hampered by
the thick mist, even as it was thwarted by the ferocious swarm of bees. After
being attacked by bees on several occasions they gave up chase and returned
home.

As the boy approached the old meadowland where he used to graze
cattle in an idyllic atmosphere, he removed the grass from Khole's bell, and so
the chiming of the bell was heard miles away. The people were really surprised
to hear the famous bull, Khole, bellowing from the same old meadow land. The
boy's father rejoiced greatly on seeing his son making a triumphant return home
with the beloved bull,
Khole.